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Friday, 11 April 2014

Who are Green Toys? Recycled Dumper Truck Review age 1+

Green Toys are a brand new launch in the UK. They've been introduced by the people behind Bigjigs Toys, and they are almost entirely made from recycled milk containers.

I'm very proud that we've been given the opportunity to be among the very first people to try them out and I've chosen to introduce you to Green Toys by showing you the Dump Truck - or Dumper Truck as they're more traditionally known in the UK.

The packaging for Green Toys tells you masses of information about the brand and the products, and is, as you'd expect, entirely made from fuss free recycled card.

All of my boys have found a great deal of fun in a classic and simple dump truck. Between them they've spent 1000's of hours digging up sand and soil and getting truly filthy in the name of play.

The Green Toys Dump Truck is a really good size - 25cm long and with an enormous bucket that tips really far to completely empty, but keeps stability so that the whole truck doesn't tip over like some we've had in the past. It has huge chunky wheels and is 100% recycled plastic.

The recycled plastic has a great 'soft' textured finish, but is clearly a strong plastic that flexes slightly. It's also really light, so a really small child can still pick it up and push it around.

The construction of the push fit wheels means that they're still very strong without the need for a metal axle. This makes the Dump Truck great for playing with in water, and okay to leave out in the garden, as it will never rust. It means you can happily submerge the toy to clean it and don't have to panic about it drying afterwards - in fact, you can even put it in the dishwasher if you choose.

The Dump Truck is suitable for children aged 1+, with it's superbly easy cleaning, and no rough or sharp parts on the top to hurt a child who trips.

I'm really impressed with this Dump truck. I honestly believe that it will last years of play and survive the rough treatment young children hand out to chunky toys like this. On the face of it an incredibly simple toy, but brilliantly executed, and a toy for the living room, bedroom, bath, paddling pool and garden.

The Green Toys Dump Truck currently retails at £19.99, which is a lot to pay for one vehicle, but I genuinely believe it's worth it, especially if you buy this for a younger child, or have more than one child, as it will last longer than several cheaper trucks bought one after the other. It still has plenty of play value for a 4 year old carting rocks around the garden, when 3 years previously your toddler could have been playing with and cutting teeth on exactly the same toy on the living room carpet.

We were sent the Dump Truck to review as part of our role as Green Toys toy testers.

I was genuinely impressed by the Green Toys range when I saw it at Toy Fair, it's clear a lot of work has gone into all aspects of the range. I'm all in favour of teaching our children about the environment from day one and toys like this help with that too.

About The Brick Castle

We feature play and entertainment for children and young people from tiny to teen and beyond. Skilled at Lego building, reviewing big kid toys and mending all things trodden on. Grieving the loss of our 16 year old to suicide in August 2014. I write about this occasionally, and I collect smiles as often as possible. You can find #TBCSmiles on the blog and my Instagram every 15th of the month - everyone is welcome to share their smiles.

Mainly my own content with an occasional guest post to put food on the table. If I didn't write it, they'll have certainly paid me to host it.